I hate you, Fuller James. I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me. I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché. I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from … English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.
I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.
But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.
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Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
This was an adorable and fun story that I enjoyed very much. This is a story that will undoubtedly put a smile on your face.
The characters were very relatable. The author did a great job of showing their personalities through the writing. Both Wren and Fuller had a lot of depth. There was a lot more underneath the surface for each of them. They both also had great character development in the story. The secondary characters were likable and I honestly would have loved to see more of them in the story. I also loved the friendships and the family relationships in the story.
I really liked the bond that Wren and Fuller form in the story. These are two teenagers that walk different high school paths but once they actually open up to one another they find that they have a lot in common on a deeper level. While they start off at odds with one another, their gradual conversations lead them to feeling more for each other than they ever thought possible. They had such a comfortable chemistry with one another. It felt so natural.
I liked the plot of the story. It wasn’t an unpredictable plot by any means but it really didn’t need to be. The tropes that are explored in this story are written very well. The author makes the reader really care about the story and I couldn’t put the book down.
Overall, this was a delightful story that was fun to read. The story touches upon issues like bullying, and to a lesser degree dementia, and does a wonderful job of addressing them. I liked the bully’s redemption in the story. I am glad that I gave this one a shot and I would definitely read this author again.
When things get tough, you have two options. Pass the buck or stand up to the plate and go to bat for the person you love. The decision was simple.”
I Hate You, Fuller James was a heartwarming and fun read. My favorite trope, enemies to lovers? Sign me up! Many times when reading romance the couple goes from hate to love in the blink of an eye, but this one was a slow build and I love that!
The side characters and the depth they brought to the main characters relationship was great. I love that they fell for each other by caring for the other’s loved ones.
Read this sweet YA romance. It will make you smile!
Kelly Anne Blount’s I Hate You, Fuller James is the perfect blend of witty and sweet. It’s fast-paced, surprisingly empathetic, and is begging to be made into a movie.
Wren Carter hates Fuller James. She’s hated him ever since he embarrassed her at the seventh grade dance and dubbed her “Wrentainer.” Wren also finds it kind of annoying that Fuller just so happens to be devastatingly handsome and an amazing basketball player. On the other hand, Fuller James needs help. Badly. He’s failing out of AP Lit, and desperately needs a tutor. He also feels guilty about how he’s treated Wren. As they are forced to work together, Wren and Fuller begin to get to really know each other, and realize that they connect in ways they wouldn’t have suspected. But can their blooming relationship survive all of the high school drama?
I love the way that Blount slowly builds the relationship between Wren and Fuller. They go from enemies to frenemies; from frenemies to friends; and from friends to something more. You go through the journey with the characters and can see how they grow both individually and collectively throughout the narrative arc. In the beginning, there are elements of bullying, but it never veers into over-the-top cruelty. I Hate You, Fuller James isn’t overtly explicit in its content or its language, which some readers will undoubtedly find refreshing. It’s a delightful addition to this genre, and a safe read for a variety of ages.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
My Thoughts:
When I read the synopsis and saw the cute cover for I Hate You, Fuller James, I expected a fun, and cute story. However, I got so much more! I must admit that at the beginning of the story I didn’t know if I would enjoy it, because James came across as immature for being a senior in high school, and it seemed like everything about him irritated Wren, even things that I thought weren’t a big deal. However, we quickly learn it’s because these two have quite the history!
I’m happy to say, that the pages just flew by! James was the captain of the basketball team and the most popular guy in his high school. He was dating mean girl, Marissa, who was pretty, but extremely shallow, and a horrible bully! Both of them consistently gave Wren a hard time at school. James was more worried about his image and being popular than anything else.
I loved Wren. She was sweet, intelligent, and dedicated to her family. When James starts a food fight, Wren, who usually doesn’t react to shenanigans, gets so angry that she throws food back. As her punishment, she gets stuck tutoring James, because he is failing A.P. Literature, and needs to bring up his grade in order to play basketball.
As Wren and James are forced to spend more time together, they get to know each other on a deeper level. I connected to both of these characters emotionally, and found myself in love with their story.
Wren was extremely close to her grandfather, who had moved in with her family, because he was suffering from Alzheimers. My heart broke for her, and I smiled at all of the heartwarming scenes with her and her grandfather. This was extremely difficult for me read, because I’ve always shared a special bond with my grandparents, and lost my Nana a couple of years ago, and my grandpa has been really sick.
James was very close to his little brother, Hudson, who had brittle bone disease. I loved his little bro, and their relationship was super sweet. James matured, and underwent a lot of character growth, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because of an unfortunate mistake that James made at the beginning of the story.
I Hate You, Fuller James, was a super fast, light, cute, and fun read! It balanced out heavy topics, with lightness, humor, friendship, and first love. This was a story that sucked me right in, and gave me great characters, and a real, relatable, and emotional reading experience.
4.5 Stars!
I Hate You Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount a sweet as sugar five-star read. This was sweet and simple and just made me smile so much, it does come with a side of cheese but honestly that’s what made it so special for me. Wren wasn’t your typical heroine, there was something special about her and I liked how she was pretty and still got picked on, not that it makes it okay, but it shows us that it can be any of us, and her strength and power of self just showed us how strong you can be . I also liked how Fuller grew during the story. If you are looking for sweet and romantic then you can’t go wrong with this story, it doesn’t re-write the rule book, but it does bring plenty of smiles. I loved how we are shows that just because life looks effect on the surface it isn’t always and you never know what people are dealing with at home, so you should always try and be nice, this is a great thing to preach and one we should talk about more.
Really loved and enjoyed Wren and Fuller’s story! A cute, lighthearted, hate to love romance that gives all the feels!
Predictable plot but a good read nonetheless
There were many editing errors – such as two Fridays in a row and repeating of the same line. And it was rather predictable, which I guess I expected.
Cute and fun!
I really liked Fuller and Wren’s story. The change in him from his first scene to the last was a bit extreme, but at the same time it was what readers were hoping for and we saw reasons for it, so it didn’t seem too out of the realm of possibility (and honestly, shouldn’t we all hope to change from 7th grade to 12th? I mean really…)
And his grand gesture? Fan-freaking-tastic…
The “bet” that Fuller makes in the beginning was painfully horrible, though it helped (a little) that even he knew if was wrong as he made it and yes, he did the right thing calling it off in the end. He doesn’t make the right choice right after that, of course (and you knew from the start that this would somehow contribute to the relationship black moment) and that was why he needed to pull out all of the stops for the grandest of all grand gestures to make things right.
Hudson (Fuller’s little brother) and Wren’s grandfather were really solid secondary characters and helped to make this book so much fun to read. This was my first book from this author, but probably not my last!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Wren and Fuller have history. That’s right, and not the good kind either. Wren had been hurt repeatedly by being treated so poorly by the “in” crowd, of which Fuller is the leader, basically.
Fuller is getting into some trouble academically. His coach has a plan – but does not want anyone to know. So Fuller treats it as he is interested in Wren, instead. Little does he know how much truth is like fiction.
This was such an amazing story! I had never read this author’s work before, but you can bet I will again. I hope we revisit this group at this school. There seems like a lot of potential for a series here. I loved the banter, and even how enemies were able to become friends. I found the story very compelling. Deeper characters than meets the eye, it was a rich read with a lot more to it than originally thought.
***This early copy was give in exchange for an honest review, by Netgalley and its publisher.
Was the story predictable? Yes, but in a good way. Sometimes you just need that book that is a comfort read. Reminds me of the good ol’ 80’s movies. Wren and Fuller are opposites, which is one of my favs. Fuller was a bit of an ass and bully in the beginning as well as some of his friends. He does work to better himself after being tutored by Wren. I know some reviewers thought it was too convenient but what better time to reinvent yourself than in high school? This is another one that would be great for the summer reading lists.
Wren Carter has been tormented by highschool basketball star Fuller James for years. In fact he was the reason she had a nickname that she hated and when his latest antics has her retaliating for a brief moment she finds herself having to tutor Fuller in their AP Literature class. Wren would rather do anything else then help the school Lothario but her options are limited and she can’t refuse. Wren makes it clear to Fuller she wants nothing to do with him, add in the fact that they are supposed to keep it secret that she is tutoring him it makes it even more difficult.
Fuller is furious with himself about having to be a tutor but his future depends on getting good grades. He doesn’t expect to get to know Wren, her certainly doesn’t expect to fall for her. There is one small problem though he made up a lie that can’t get back to Wren about why they are spending time together and it could make what they are building implode, can he come clean before it is too late?
I loved this, you laugh, cry all the emotions you would want from this type of book is in there. Fuller is cocky and a bit of a jerk in the beginning but he sees a different side of himself with Wren. Loved Wren, she is determined and I liked that she was her own independent woman. Excellent story.
I loved Wren!
Wren Carter hates Fuller James for all the problems he has caused her in school plus stopping her former best friend from being around her. Wren is upset when she is forced to tutor Fuller in AP Literature so he could bring up his grade without anybody knowing about it. Fuller was the star of the basketball team and they needed him playing to win games and Wren didn’t want to lose her chance at a STEM camp if she refused.
Fuller couldn’t tell anybody that Wren was tutoring him so he made up some lies that he was leading her on when. Things started to change when Fuller realized that he really liked Wren but when his lies started having a life of their own, he knew that things were not going to end well and maybe Wren would end up hating him.
I Hate You, Fuller James about people changing from being with the mean crowd to finding out that there is a better group of people to be with. Plus Wren is true to herself!